Electric pistol.



PATENTED JAN. 7, 1908.

E'. 0. PFEIL.

ELECTRIC 'PISTOL APPLICATION FII-'BD JAN. 28. 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

02735 I I BY. l @MM w/TNESSE No. 876,088. PATBNTED JAN. 7, 19(38.

- E. o. PPEIL.

ELECTRIC PISTOL.

APPL10AT-ION FILED JAN. 28. 1907.

w/r/VESSES 42 47 @wm/mf? A Tron/VE YS 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ERNST- OSWALD 4PFEIL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC raster.

Specification of Lettere Patent.

Patented .ma 7, reca Application mea January 28. 1907. aerial No. 354.536.

To all whom 'it' 'may concern: Be it known that I, ERNST OswAL PFEiL, a subj ect of the Em eror of Germany, and a resident of New Yorllr), in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Im roveinents in Electric Pistols, of which the ollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

yThis invention relates more .particularly to a pistol adapted for use either as a toy, or as a'means of defense.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an article of manufacture which has the appearance of the ordinary pistol or revolver, and which ma be operated in a manner similar to that o, the ordinary pistol to make' a report or explosion, and at the same time produce a flash of light without the employment of the usual form of cartridge having a bullet; which is simple in construction and attractive in appearance, and

which may be made and sold at a much less cost than the ordinary form of pistol orl revolver.

A further ob ect of the invention is to provide. a pistol adapted for use as a toy or novelty, orwhich may be made in such a way as to bc adapted to produce the effect of the ordinary pistol or revolver as a means of protection, and which may be carried Without obtaining the usual license necessary for carrying concealed wea ons.

With these and ot ier objects'in view, theinventioii will be hereinafter more particu? larly described with reference to the accom.- paiiying drawings, which form a part of this speciiication, and will then be pointed out in the claims at the end of the description.

1n the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of one form of device embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section, partly in elevation, of the device shown in Fig. 1. Fig. Il is a detail end elevation of the. substitute. l'or thel usual cartridge chamber or cylinder, showing how a battery may be arranged in the chamber. Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section showing how an electric light may be held within the barrel. Fig. 5 is a vertical section, partly in elevation, showing means whereby the chamber or cylinder may be revolved'. battery; and Fig. 7 is a vertical section, iartly diagrammatic, of the battery chamlier or cylinder, and the electric connections between said chamber and the lam The body or casing 10 of the pistol or rebattery,

filament in said lam Fig. 6 is an end view of theY volver has the usual or any preferred form of handle or stock 11, and in the casing 10 is supported a chamber or cylinder 1 2. The chamber 12 is stationary and is recessed so as to hold a suitable battery 13; This battery 13 has contacts 14 and 15 suitably connected with the negative and positive poles of the and may be spring or yielding strips of metal slightly lseparated from each other, so thatwhen forced together, as will be presently described, they will complete the circuit through tlie battery. The cont-acts 14 and 15 have electric wires 16 and 17 connected therewith, and these Wires may be fitted in channels in the casing or body 10, and lead to the butt or casing 180i an electric lamp 19, to properly connect with the in the4 usual manner. This lamp may be o any suitable formand is insulated at 20 from a rojecting portion 21 of the pistol casing. T e projecting ore tion 21 is screw-threaded for a part o its length, and fitting the threads is a barrel 22, I

which may be readily removed in case it is desired to replacetor remove the lamp 19. By this means, it will be seen that as the contacts 14 and 15 are made to engage each other, a circuit will be completed between said contacts and the electric lamp to pro duce a light, which may be constan-t or in the nature oli a Hash according to how the contacts are operated.

As a means for causing the contact 15 to engage the contact 14, 1 provide a projection 23 on the tri ger 24. This projection or cam may be insu ated from the trigger, and norinally engages the spring Contact 15, so that as the trigger is moved in the usual way, the said contact will complete the circuit through the battery and cause a flash of light from the lamp. The trigger may be of the usual form, and is pivoted at 25, and has a spring 26 as usual to force the projection 23 away from the battery chamber 12. The trigger engages a pawl or deteiit 27 of a hammer 28,

and this hammer may be of the usual construction, being pivoted at 29 and provided with a spring 3() to` force thel hammer end toward the chamber 12.

The casing 10 is provided with an aperture or recess 31 and in this-recess is adapted to fit a cap or blank cartridge or other explosive element 32, which is arranged in the path of movement of the hammer, so as to be4 exploded by the latter when the hammer is' thrown inward by the spring 30. As will be l vleads a Wire 40 to the lamp 19.

seen the movement of the trigger will complete the circuit through the contacts and the lam 19, and simultaneously with the flash of ight from the lamp 19, the hammer Will make a noise or report similar to that which is obtained in an ordinary pistol or revolver.

' In Fig. 5, the construction of the casing, trigger and hammer is substantially the same as that already described, the parts being changed to adapt the chamber 33 to rotate as in the ordinary revolver. This chamber 33 has, a casing 34 which is supported to rotate on the usual post 35, and in the casing is arranged a ybattery 36 of any suitable construction. As shown the battery has its elements arran ed to it neatly within. the casing 34,

and t e polesv of the battery are connected' With the rings 37 and 38.

The rings 37 and 38 aresecured to the casing and are insulated therefrom, and the ring 3 7 is in contact as it rotates with a brush or plate 39, from which A plate or contact 41 has one end 42 normally engaging the ring 38, and through the wire 43 connects with the lamp 20, the contact 41 being held in a channel or groove in a pistol casing, and having its outer end arranged in the path of movement of the contact ruig 37. The contact 41 has its outer end 44 adapted to be engaged by a projection or cam portion 45,

which forms a part of' the trigger, and is adapted to complete the circuit through the contact 41, ring 37, brush or contact 39, wire 40, lamp 19, wire 43,*ring 38, and end 42 of said contact 41. The casing 34 has a cappiece 46, and in this cap-piece are a series of apertures 47, which are adapted to hold caps or blank cartridges 48. This cap-piece is securely fastened to the casing, and is provided with ratchet teeth 49, which are adapted to be successively engaged-by a pawl 50, so as to intermittently rotate the chamber and successively place thecartridges in position to be lired by the hammer in the usual Way., In this form as well as that shown in Fi s. 1 and 2, the hammer and the trigger are su stantially the same as in the usual form of pistol.

From the foregoing it Will be seen that a simple and efficient device is provided, wh1ch is adapted for use as a toy, and which may be employed to cause a noise and a Hash similar to that of the ordinary pistol for the purpose of amusement, or to frightenpersons or animals as may be required.

It is to be understood that the words pistol and revolver are intended to be used synonymously; that the openings for the cartridge, cap or other explosive element may extend entirely through the battery chamber so that an end view will resemble more nearly that of the ordinary chamber of a istol; and that instead ofthe cap-piece of Figs. 5 to 7, or the opening of Figs. 1 and 2 for the cap, a suitable disk may be employed i to revolve with the battery chamber, and the said disk may have at suitable intervals, a suitable explosive which may be ired by the trigger in the manner already described.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. Ina device of the character described, the combination with a casing having a bar rel, an electric lamp carried by the casing and electrically connected with the battery, contacts included in the circuit of the battery and the lamp, a hammer, a chamber containing a battery arranged between the hammer and the barrel, means for holding an explosive element in the path ofthe hammer, together with a trigger adapted to move the hammer and complete the circuit through the battery and lamp to simultaneously cause a flash of light and a report from the explosive element.

2. A pistol com rising a casing, a-handle and a barrel, an e ectric lamp supported in the barrel', contacts connected to the poles of the battery and included in the lamp circuit, a trigger'` having a projection normally engaging-one of the contacts and adapted to close the circuit to cause the lamp to iash a light, a hammer operatively connected to the trigger, a chamber containing a battery ar' ranged between the hammer and the barrel and means for supporting an explosive element adjacent to the hammer. f

3. A pistol com rising a casing, a handle and a barrel, an e ectric lamp supported in the barrel, a chamber containing a batteryv arranged between the hammer and the barrel, an electric circuit including the battery and lamp, contacts connected to the poles of the` battery and included in the lamp circuit, and means to close the circuit and cause the lamp to flash a light.

4. In a pistol, the combination with avcas ing having a projecting portion, of an electric lamp removably held in said projecting portion, a barrel for inclosing the lam and removably held in the projecting port1on, a hammer, means for holding an explosive in the pathof the hammer, a battery located between the' hammer and the barrel, and means for closing the circuit to cause the lamp to flash a light and to fire the explosive element.

In a pistol, the combination with a casing, of an electric lamp supported on the casing, a revoluble battery chamber having a battery, contacts movable with the battery, and electrically connected with the lamp and the battery, devices engaging the contacts and normally in circuit with the lamp and the battery, means for sustaining a plurality of independent explosive elements in the revoluble chamber, means for revolving the chamber, a hammer adapted to engage and lire the explosive elements, a trigger for operating the hammer in one direction, and a cam projection carried by the trigger and adapted to com lete the circuit between the E; contacts of the lliattery and the lamp so as to simultaneously cause a llash of light and a noise when the trigger is o erated.

6. In a pistol, the combination with an electric lamp, of a revoluble chamber having l0 a battery,. electric connections between the battery and lamp, means for sustaining a plurality of independent explosive elements m a revoluble chamber, means for revolving the chamber, a hammer adaptedto engage l5 and iire the explosive elements, and a trigger for operating the hammer in one direction and. adapted to com )lete the circuit between the battery and .the Ilamp so as to simultaneously cause a flash of light and a noisewhen t he trigger is operated.

7. In a pistol, the combination with an electricd lamp, a revoluble battery, electric connections between the battery and lamp,

'contacts movable with the battery, devices adapted to complete the circuit between the contacts of the battery and the lam so as to simultaneously cause a4 flash of liglit and a noise when-the trigger is operated.

'lhis specification signed and witnessed this 19th day of January A. D. 1907.

ERNST OSWALD yPFEIL. Witnesses:

L. H. LNDIN, M. TURNER. 

